CINCINNATI—What we learned as No. 11 Cincinnati recovered from its early offensive struggles to post a commanding 60-45 victory in the newly renamed Crosstown Classic rivalry:

1. Xavier and Cincinnati can play nice. Players and coaches from both sides shook hands following the national anthem. The dance teams did a routine together. The cheerleaders shared the court during the first media timeout of the second half. The bands staged a free throw competition at halftime. (Hard to believe neither band had a shooter better than the two who competed). The only ugly things about the evening were the venue—the dank and outdated U.S. Bank Arena—and the first 20 minutes of basketball the Bearcats (11-0) and Musketeers (7-3) put on display: a total of 16 turnovers by the two teams, 27 errant shots from the Bearcats, six missed free throws by the Musketeers.

Cincinnati vs. Xavier: The rivals competed hard but clean on the court this year. (AP Photo)

It’s possible the players were uninspired by the venue, but more likely they were treading uncomfortably in a game that became such a calamity last December. The brawl that ended last season’s Cincinnati-Xavier game became one of the most widely discussed events of the 2011-12 college basketball season, even more so in the city where both universities make their home.

So perhaps it was natural that defense would rule the early part of the game.

2. Cincinnati is going to have to work its press. With no credible inside scoring option, the Bearcats are either stuck relying to a dangerous extent on 3-point shooting or on creating a fast tempo that leads to layups. (Guard Sean Kilpatrick may be the best layup maker in Division I. It sounds elementary, but it’s a valuable skill).

The Bearcats’ basic scheme is to get the ball out of the net quickly and up the floor as rapidly as possible, and also to run off every missed shot it rebounds. But Xavier undermined that tactic with impressive attention to transition defense. The Musketeers sent at least two defenders back every time their side launched a shot, even if it meant they weren’t going to get much done on the offensive boards.

Xavier’s success at slowing the game and its success at knocking loose the basketball when the Bearcats penetrated the 3-point line caused a scoreless drought that lasted more than five minutes through the middle of the first half. At the half, the Bearcats were 9-of-36 from the floor and had committed nine turnovers.

With about six minutes before halftime, however, Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin brought out a man-to-man, run-and-jump press that helped the Bearcats gain a foothold in the game. And after the teams returned from the break, the intensity on that press was turned up to Metallica volume. The Musketeers committed four turnovers in the first four minutes, and Cincinnati surged from a 24-22 deficit to a 37-28 lead.

The man-to-man is not the only press in the arsenal. After scoring on a rip-and-run break to gain their first double-digit lead, the Bearcats presented a 2-2-1 fullcourt zone press. The first time the Musketeers saw it, they were forced to spend their fourth of five timeouts. With more than 13 minutes remaining, they had only one left to call.

3. Brad Redford has to make buckets. One of the most lethal 3-point shooters in the nation, Xavier’s senior guard hit a combined 6-of-12 in wins over Butler, Drexel and Purdue, but he did not attempt a 3 in the loss to Pacific, was 2-of-6 in the home loss to Vanderbilt and 1-of-8 here.

He made his first 3-pointer and sent a warning that he would be a player the Bearcats needed to guard.

And then they did. He didn’t make another the rest of the night, even though he played plenty because of apparent leg cramping that kept out star freshman Semaj Christon for much of the second half. With 7:01 left in the game, he tried a 3-pointer from the right corner that 6-10 Cheikh Mbodj alertly knocked into the XU bench.

Christon will be Xavier’s most important offensive option, and his absence damaged any chance Xavier might have had to recover from Cincinnati’s second-half blitz. But he’s got to have help. Xavier scored barely a point a minute in the final 20.

4. Nobody grinds like the Bearcats. With 5:02 left, wing Jaquon Parker grabbed a defensive rebound for the Bearcats, then found Kilpatrick with the makings of an outlet pass. With his team ahead 53-40, Kilpatrick chose not to dribble into a fast break but instead to stop and wave for Wright to come and take command of the ball. Those who’d seen Cincinnati before had to know what that meant.

It’s like an NFL team using its running game to chew up the clock. The Bearcats spread the court, try to get isolated one defenders and essentially will attempt only a wide-open layup or 3-pointer. There are games when that doesn’t work as efficiently and they’ll see a double-digit lead slowly cut down to a one-possession game, but generally they escape such games with a victory.

Cincinnati scored only two points over the next three minutes, but Xavier drew no closer in that stretch.